Running up Flat Top

Yesterday I had a great excursion up Flat Top, the ridge/summit just north of Hallett Peak. Driving up, the clouds were flying furiously over Longs and I had some concerns about conditions above treeline. After some delay getting parked and catching the shuttle, I was underway by 10:30 and after roughly 45 minutes was at treeline and a great view of the North Face of Hallett. I was undecided how much further I should go as I had to be back in Boulder in the early afternoon but decided to continue as the weather seemed reasonable.










The great thing about this trail is that it gets easier as you go higher so you can actually run fairly quickly. I found myself at the top of the pass/summit about half an hour later and went over to the top of Tyndall Gorge to look down and duck behind a boulder for a bite to eat. This is at about 12, 200'.The wind was strong and constant but not too bad and if I had had more time, I would have tagged the summit of Hallett Peak which was just a half mile away. However this trail is definitely one to do again so I will get it then. If you are looking for a good introductory moderate alpine run, I would definitely recommend this one. The views are stellar and the terrain is very manageable, especially after the lower sections.


























The run back down was brisk but tiring especially in the really rocky sections near the base. After leaving the top at 12:15, I got back to Bear Lake at 1 pm. In sum I did approximately 9 miles, 2900' elevation, in about 2.5 hours but most important had a wonderful time in the mountains.